Italian Sandwich Bread Recipe and Video
Try this Italian Sandwich Bread Recipe for a delicious homemade bread that holds together perfectly for thick Italian sandwiches!
Servings: 2 loaves
Cost: $2
Equipment
- 1 Bosch Mixer (or KitchenAid)
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups warm water (397 grams)
- 1 tablespoon SAF Instant Yeast (9 grams)
- ¼ cup olive oil (50 grams)
- 3 tablespoon white sugar (37 grams)
- 1½ teaspoons salt (9 grams)
- 4½ cups unbleached bread flour (585 grams)
- cooking spray (to grease loaf pans)
Instructions
- Add the warm water, yeast, olive oil, sugar, salt and bread flour to a mixer with the dough hook attached.
- Knead on low for 6 minutes in a Bosch mixer or 9 minutes in a KitchenAid or similar mixer. The dough should be pulling away from the sides of the mixer, but still feel sticky (see video).
- Remove the dough from the mixer and knead it a couple times on the counter to form a ball. You can add a very small sprinkle of flour if needed.
- Place the dough in a large bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise in a warm place until doubled about 1 hour.
- Grease two loaf pans. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into two equal-sized pieces. Gently knead it into a ball and roll it out into a loaf shape. You can use another very light sprinkle of flour if needed.
- Rise Option 1: Rub a little oil or butter on the top of two pieces of plastic wrap. Place the plastic wrap over the dough allowing room for the dough to grow about 45-60 minutes.Rise Option 2: Place a pan in your oven and add 2 cups of boiling water to the pan. Let the loaves rise in the warm, steamy oven with the light on for 30-45 minutes.If using 4.5x8.5 inch pans: The middle of the risen dough should be about 1 inch above the edge.If using 5x9 inch pans: The middle of the risen dough should be just barely above the top of the edge.
- Once the dough has risen, very carefully remove the plastic wrap (option 1) or remove them from the warm oven (option 2). Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Gently place the loaves in the oven. You don't want the dough to deflate. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until browned on top.
- Use oven mitts to remove them from the pans and let the loaves cool on a cooling rack before slicing into them.
Video
Notes
I strongly suggest reading through the "Tips and Tricks" section on the blog post as well as watching the tutorial video to help your bread come out light, fluffy and chewy so that it holds together perfectly for sandwiches.
Storage: Store the cooled bread in an airtight plastic bag.
Freezing: Double-bag the bread and try to get out as much air as possible before freezing.